1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a bed linen securing means, and in particular to a means for securely keeping mattress covers, bottom sheets, top sheets, blankets, or other bed linen in contact with an underlying mattress.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a bed is being made, the bed linen such as the bottom sheet on a mattress, is commonly tucked with the ends and sides of the sheet under the mattress, thereby sandwiching the perimeter of the sheet between the box spring or other mattress support, and the mattress. In this manner, the bottom sheet is tightly secured in close association with the planar surface of the mattress. Other bed linen, such as a top sheet and blankets, are then placed on the mattress over the bottom sheet. In the past, such a system for securing bed linen worked relatively well with mattresses made of cotton or similar heavy materials which weighed enough to hold the bed linen in place between the box spring and mattress. However, as materials used for manufacturing mattresses became lighter, the overall weight of a mattress also became lighter and a mattress alone was no longer sufficient to maintain the bed linen in place with respect to the bed. As a result, the bed linen would become easily separated from the bed.
The separation of the bed linen is especially a problem in hospital beds. Many hospital beds may be mechanically adjusted to elevate the patient's legs or head for example, such that the mattress is moved and flexed in different positions. As a result, the bed linen moves with respect to the mattress and often becomes dissociated from the mattress. In hospital beds, patients typically ambulate from the beds and the sheets often pull out. An ill patient may be unable to restore the bed linen to a position which satisfactorily covers the patient without assistance. As a result, the patient may become chilled and uncomfortable. Further, as the patient reenters the bed, the sheets may wrinkle beneath the patient causing pressure in inconvenient places, resulting in bed sores.
Fitted or contoured sheets forming a relatively tightly fitting bottom sheet which is secured to the mattress at its four corners by contoured, elastic corners have been used in the past. However, the fitted or contoured sheet is sized to fit a particular sized mattress. Accordingly, the anchoring function of the elastic corners of the fitted or contoured sheet is lost when the sheet is used with a mattress of smaller size. A fitted or contoured sheet can not be used at all with a mattress of much larger size. Where different sized mattresses are used in institutions, fitted or contoured sheets of different sizes must be maintained separately, for efficient bed-making operation. As most sheets are made of cotton and/or polyester, shrinkage resulting from repetitive laundering, also contributes to the poor fitting of contoured sheets.
Another problem with fitted or contoured sheets, particularly involving institutional usage, results from the fact that contoured sheets do not fold flat for storage. Thus, more space is required to store the same number of fitted or contoured sheets than is required to store flat sheets.
Even where a bottom fitted or contoured sheet is used, the top sheet is generally a flat sheet, such that movement of the person in the bed during sleep typically results in the bottom end of the top sheet and blanket being pulled out from between the mattress and box spring.
The savings of a few minutes making each bed can be of considerable benefit to institutions where each day numerous beds must be made, but not always completely changed. Moreover, bed-making is particularly more difficult in some case than in others. For example, bed making is more difficult when one side of a bed may be against a wall, requiring the bed itself to be moved to tuck the bedding under the mattress, and in making bunk-beds.
Several attempts have been made in the past to provide a device for securing bed linen to a bed. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,635 issued to Lantz on Jun. 29, 1982, a bed sheet securing device is disclosed which is mounted with screws to the frame of the box spring of a bed. Once mounted, the Lantz device forms a space between the top surface of the box spring and a portion of the device in which bed linen may be wedged and held. However, as the Lantz device is mounted to the box spring, the mattress is compressed between the bed linen and the box spring such that the mattress is no longer loose and billowy, resulting in sheer forces and/or unwanted pressure forces on the body of the patient. Moreover, in many cases when a patient is transferred from one bed to another, the patient is transported with the mattress. Such patient transfer is made more difficult when the bed sheets are attached to the box spring as is the case with the Lantz device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,916,766 issued to Grandy on Apr. 17, 1990 discloses a bed sheet attachment means using hook and loop attachment strips, sold under the trademark VELCRO, to secure the sheet to the mattress. The attachment strips must be incorporated in both the mattress and the sheets such that conventional flat bed sheets could not be used.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,276 issued to Hutton et al. on Nov. 10, 1992 discloses a bed sheet attachment device comprising a complex coupling assembly including an arrangement of projecting arms. The projecting arms have one end inserted through openings made into the mattress and terminate at the other end in a gripping portion for holding a bed sheet. The Hutton et al. device is bulky and complex and requires the making of holes into the mattress in which it is being used.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,182,827 issued to Carrier et al. on Feb. 2, 1993, discloses a sheet retainer which clamps onto the edges of a conventional mattress to hold a bed sheet between the retainer and the mattress. The Carrier et al. device is limited to fastening bed sheets as it is not possible to retain other bed linen such as blankets and/or comforters with such a device.
Further, some manufactures have placed magnets in the four corners of light weight mattresses to keep such mattresses in fixed relationship to the box spring in order to hold the sheet in place. However, such practice has been known to cause interference with electronic instrumentation used in patient care including heart pace makers.
Therefore, there is need for a simple linen securing device for securing bed linen to a mattress which permits the linen being secured to remain loose and billowy relative to the mattress to assist in pressure reduction, while at the same time the linen is held securely in place.